TikTok needs no introduction, if its reputation as the most downloaded app on the PlayStore through 2018 – 2020 didn’t garner enough fame for it, former U.S President Trump’s attempt to sell it off to US-based companies would have.
Well, TikTok has new battles to face as ByteDance is currently poised to face damages worth billions of pounds as the London High Court investigates the illegally harvested data of millions of European Children.
The litigation is being spearheaded by Anne Longfield, who is reportedly representing an undisclosed 12-year-old girl. Her allegations are that every child that used TikTok since May 25 may have had their data collected by ByteDance illegally through TikTok
“Parents and children have a right to know that private information, including phone numbers, physical location, and videos of their children are being illegally collected,”
Anne Longfield
She also maintains that TikTok violated the UK and European Union’s data protection laws by processing the teenagers’ data without parental consent. She also demands that all children’s information on the platform should be deleted.
TikTok through its legal representatives have responded that the case lacks merit as both privacy and safety were the companies top priority and as such, all users especially teenagers are protected.
The case is currently on hold.
